Lack of supplies, security: UNRWA suspends food distribution in Rafah
May 22, 2024
Gaza [Palestine], May 22: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has said that food distribution in Gaza's southern city was currently suspended due to a lack of supplies and lack of security.
Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the southern and northern edges of the Gaza Strip this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said in a statement on X that only seven out of its 24 health centres are operational. It also said that it had not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days due to "closures/disruptions" at the Rafah and Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings into Gaza.
Israel mounted a new push in central Gaza, bombarding towns in the north of the Palestinian enclave and saying it intended to broaden operations in Rafah despite US warnings of the risk of mass casualties in the southern city.
The UN's agency for Palestinian refugees said on X that this rise in displaced Palestinians sheltering in its Khan Younis facilities has occurred since Israel began issuing evacuation orders for the southern city of Rafah early this month. The majority of internally displaced Palestinians have been sheltering in Rafah for most of the war, but on Monday the UN said that over 900,000 people fled Rafah in the last two weeks - since Isreal began a military operation in the city. UNRWA shared photos of its overcrowded Khan Younis shelters.
Source: Qatar Tribune
